


Wish Me The Love Of My Life

by Rxpunzel



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: But he turns into a human, But he's also not exactly a shapeshifter, He's a brown husky because I love huskies, I promise Rick and Daryl will get together, If I'm being honest with you, M/M, Michonne is an Australian Shepherd, Rick is sort of a dog, You're better off reading this than trying to figure out what it's about
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-25
Updated: 2017-06-13
Packaged: 2018-09-13 10:47:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9120289
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rxpunzel/pseuds/Rxpunzel
Summary: Daryl's never had anybody that's wanted to stay in his life. Every girl or guy that he's dated has dumped him claiming that he's simply just 'not dateable'.So when Daryl wishes for the love of his life to come to him, this isn't exactly what he dreamed it would be. Especially being that the man's got a tail.





	1. Blue Collar, Blue Leash, Blue Eyes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This first chapter is a little rough as I'm trying to get into the swing of things.
> 
> Your feedback is welcome!

Daryl sighed, opening the door to his apartment and dropping his keys on the table near the door.

"Rick!" He yelled out, waiting for the four-legged fluff ball to come running out of one of the rooms. "Ricky, I'm home!"

And that's when Rick came into his view, running nearly full speed towards his owner in a playful stance.

Daryl knelt down, petting his dog and scratching behind his ear where he knew he liked it.

"You ready for your walk, little guy?" Daryl cooed, letting Rick lick at his face.

Daryl attached Rick's blue leash onto his matching collar before grabbing his keys and opening the door.

After the door was locked once more, they began their walk through the neighborhood. Rick sniffed at all the plants, his head moving swiftly through the bush of flowers all the while knocking a whole lot of petals onto the ground.

"Come on, Ricky," Daryl spoke, and Rick returned to his owner's side.

 

Once they made it back home, Daryl began to make dinner for the both of them. It was easier on Rick's side, being that all Daryl had to do for him was scoop dog food into a dog bowl. Water into the water bowl.

After he was done with that, Daryl decided to just order a pizza, tiredness taking over the better of him. His days at work felt like they were just getting longer. He was tired of working around people that didn't even want him there.

To be a team, you have to work as a team. But the people at his job just simply forced their name into the word itself as if it was always that way.

Daryl was seated on the couch when Rick came walking out of the laundry room where he eats. He easily jumped up onto the couch, and curled himself up next to Daryl, laying his furry brown head on Daryl's lap.

"It's almost your birthday," Daryl grumbled.

Rick's ears perked slightly; the best that they could while he was laying down. The huskies excitement for his birthday clearly showing through.

Daryl mindlessly let his hand drop down to the husky's fur while he waited on his pizza to arrive.

The atmosphere around them was relaxing, and that was the first thing Daryl loved about Rick. Even though he wasn't exactly a human, everything felt happy around him.

The doorbell rang, and they both got up from the couch, walking to the door side by side.

"Hey, Glenn," Daryl greeted, signing his name on the receipt and pushing money into the pizzaman's hands, in exchange for the pizza.

"Hey Daryl, hey Rick!" Glenn beamed. "How've you been?"

Rick somewhat smiled at the slight attention that he was given.

"Alright, jus' tired," Daryl replied. He wasn't very strong under the category of 'small talk,' but he still tried. "'bout ready to find a new job."

"That's cool, do what makes you happy," Glenn nodded his head in understanding before looking at his watch. "I gotta go, got a few more pizzas to deliver before I clock out, but I'll see you around, man!"

Daryl nodded, watching the China man walk away before closing his front door.

 

That night after Daryl got out of the shower, spotting Rick already asleep on his bed, he got a phone call.

"Hello?" Daryl mumbled.

"Hey, Daryl, it's me," His current girlfriend, Amy, spoke softly from the other side. "I hate to do this over the phone, but... I don't really think this is working out. I just don't feel as happy as I did when we first got together, and you're a great guy, but-"

"I'm just way too undateable? I get it, makes you just like everybody else," Daryl cursed at the tears that he felt building up. Two whole years down the drain. "Fuck me for ever giving two shits, right?"

"No, Daryl, I love you, I just..." He knew she'd have a hand in her hair by the sound of her sighing. "It's just not as strong as it was. Sometimes you love people and you keep them, sometimes you let them go," she let out a breath that Daryl knew she takes before she starts to cry. "I need you to let me go, Daryl."

He ended the call, throwing his phone at the wall.

Fuck him for ever giving two shits about anyone other than his fucking dog.

At the thought, he turned to look at Rick who was now awake. He let out a whimper, probably knowing that Daryl was upset. In return, the tired man released a sad laugh.

All the man wanted was a voice to come home to. Fall asleep with the only one that loved him more than love. He would never say that Rick wasn't enough, though.

Rick licked at his face as Daryl climbed under the covers.

"Love you too, buddy." Daryl kissed the top of his furry head, and watched as Rick scooted closer so he was basically laying on his stomach. "Ah, Ricky!"

Daryl didn't exactly try his best to get Rick to move. He honestly thought that the full weight of his dog was comforting to be under.

"Just wish I had a person who loved me as much as you do," he mumbled softly with his eyes closed.

Rick layed his head on Daryl's shoulder, his owner's arm around his slim body to hold him in place. They both went to sleep quickly.

 

Daryl woke up late the next day by sloppy wet kisses.

"Aw, Rick! Okay, I'm awake, I'm awake!" Daryl grumbled, sitting up and pushing the dog away in a playful manner.

He glanced at the clock, noticing the late time. He would've let himself lay down for just a few more minutes, but he quickly reminded himself of the shit everyone would give him for being late.

Only him.

Fucking Shane Walsh could arrive an entire week late to work and everyone would just nod it off as 'he already works hard enough.'

Daryl let out an exasperated breath, running his hands through his hair.

He stood from his bed, his gaze following his dog as he moved through the room.

"Okay, buddy, I gotta head to work."

Rick jumped up, his front paws on Daryl's shoulders, and his back paws on the bed.

Daryl had his hands somewhere on his back, slowly petting the husky through his whimpers.

"No, you can't come to work with me. My job doesn't let dogs in."

Rick pushed out a frustrated bark.

"Rick, come on, buddy." Daryl tried, but Rick had already jumped down and walked out of the room.

And no matter how much Daryl wanted to follow his grumpy friend, he had to get ready for work. So he did that.

Rick followed him to the front door, trying to slip his way outside so he could go with his owner. But Daryl had only cracked the door wide enough so that he could fit himself through, leaving Rick by himself.

"Be a good boy, I'll be back."

Daryl closed the door behind him, locking it. He got into his car, and drove in silence towards his job. The entire, and seemingly short, twenty minutes there.

 

Daryl sat at his desk, getting a start at the huge pile of paperwork he had to get done by the end of the day.

"Daryl, do you think you can get these done for me? I'm running late for my doctor's appointment," one of the ladies asked, before he could even get the ink to work on his pen.

"Nah."

"Please, I got the pile that you needed me to do done-"

"No you didn't, you put that same pile that I gave you back on my damn desk, you didn't do shit."

How did he keep his cool? Even he didn't know that.

"But I-" the lady tried again. What was her name? Lori?

"Look, Lori? The same exact documents that you supposedly 'got done' for me are sitting underneath this pile of like fifty documents that I need to fill out by three. And they weren't fucking filled out, so guess who still has to fucking do that? Me."

"But, Daryl-" Lori started, and quickly cut herself off after catching the glare that the man sent her way. She straightened her back, and raised her chin slightly. "That wasn't a question, Mr. Dixon, you are _going_ to get these done for me so I can catch my appointment."

And with that, she walked away, leaving behind the twenty unfilled documents that were, apparently now, Daryl's responsibility.

He was losing his patience by the second.

Just as he turned back to his desk, another worker walked up to him with more papers.

"Daryl can you-?"

"No!" Daryl answered abruptly.

"But-"

"Why do you shits think I have all the time in the world for you? We are not friends just because we grabbed one fucking beer! I don't see why I'm the only one people are walking all over like I'm some fucking carpet!" He breathed harshly, "if you want your fucking papers done do them yourself."

"Daryl, these aren't even my papers though..."

Daryl didn't answer. He got his pen to work, and began scribbling what needed to be scribbled on the documents in front of him.

 

That night, Daryl got home later than usual. He could barely keep his eyes open.

At least he got all his papers done.

Just because they were in his pile doesn't mean they were his responsibility, and the tired man wasn't taking shit anymore. He hasn't taken anyone's shit for his entire life--except for Rick, but that's under different circumstances--why would he start now?

"Ricky, you ready for your walk?" Daryl yelled out, tiredness visible in his voice. "Come on, buddy, I know you probably gotta piss."

Still nothing.

Daryl walked further into his apartment, past the living room and into the next room, which was the kitchen. When there was no sign of him in there, he checked the laundry room. The dining room he rarely uses, the bedrooms, the bathrooms.

Wait, back it up.

He walked backwards, backing up until he was in the doorframe of his room.

He saw Rick's fluffy tail underneath the bed. He was hiding, which was rare for him.

What scared him so bad?

"Come on, buddy, I'm home."

All he got out of that was a strange whimper that he hadn't heard before.

Daryl walked to the other side of the bed, and got on his knees to peek underneath the bed where Rick was hiding.

"Whatever's got you scared ain't here anymore," Daryl clarified, hoping that would be enough for his friend to come out of hiding.

That was before his eyes focused so he could see through the darkness underneath the bed.

He gasped as Rick looked up at him... but this wasn't exactly the same Rick he had left this morning.

This man looked up at him with a steady gaze.

He pushed himself forward, and Daryl backed up, a little pissed off at what he was seeing. Where the fuck was his dog?

The man stood before Daryl, holding a shy smile.

"Who the fuck are you?!" Daryl snapped, holding up a lamp for defense, once the man was out from under the bed and standing directly in front of him.

"It's me, Rick!" The man said cheerily.

That's when Daryl spotted his tail that was slowly wagging.

His eyes created a trail across the man's naked body, taking in the man's clear chest and structured jaw. For him to be a dog, he wasn't that hairy.

" _What?_ " Daryl was so far past confused, that he didn't know what else to call it.

"I'm your _dog_... Rick!" He gave a little wave, before returning his hand to his side.

This was by far the most eventful day that he's had in a while, Daryl had to admit. And whatever tiredness that he'd had when he first walked in was now completely gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please, feel free to leave a review/comment! :)


	2. The Scent of Vanilla

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daryl begins to get used to Rick as a human, and begins to change a few things to get Rick used it to it too.

Over the next few days, Daryl has kept an unusual distance away from Rick. He doesn't let Rick sleep in his room anymore like he used to. Now the other man would sleep in the guest room down the hall. Whenever Rick would walk to the door with him when he was leaving for work, Daryl would not tell him goodbye. Their walks in the afternoon haven't happened since Rick turned into, what Daryl liked to call, 'a man-dog'.

So when Daryl came home one day to see Rick curled underneath his light blue, dog blanket crying, he decided to approach.

"Rick..." Daryl slowly walked towards the couch, listening to the man's sobs since his face was hidden underneath the blanket. "Rick, what's wrong?"

The crying stopped abruptly, and Rick's red, puffy eyes peeked out of the blanket slowly.

"You don't love me anymore," Rick spoke sadly, not bothering to wipe the tears that kept on falling.

That absolutely broke Daryl's heart.

He moved his man-dog over and sat on the couch, before pulling him back so that his once-was-a-dog's head was on his lap. Daryl began to run his fingers through Rick's hair, which was nice and soft.

It reminded the hardworking man of Rick's fur.

After a few minutes of silence, when Rick was nearly asleep, Daryl spoke up.

"I do... love you, Rick," the other man turned to look at him. "I just need time to get used to the fact that you're not exactly a dog like you used to be."

"I don't know what happened to me, I sleep warm, I wake up cold."

"Yeah, I bet." _Woke up cold_ , he was _naked_ , of course he woke up cold.

Silence settled in, Rick returning back to his normal position so that his head was comfortably in Daryl's lap like it was before. His crying came to a stop, and his formed headache dialed down. All because of Daryl.

"It's okay that you're different, we'll just have'ta change a few things around."

And Daryl was okay with doing just that.

"What thangs?" Rick asked.

"Like getting you underwear and more clothes so you don't have'ta wear mine all the time. Stuff like that," Daryl explained.

"Stuff... thaaaangs... alright." Rick flipped himself so he was laying on his stomach, his tail leaving a visible bump in the blanket that perfectly fit with the curve of his ass. "You always smell so delicious, I just want to lick you all day," Rick pushed his face into Daryl's thigh, proceeding to lick the dress pant that his owner had to wear to the office.

Daryl pushed at Rick's forehead, trying to keep him from licking his pants any longer. The hybrid then tried to stretch his tongue out, pouting when he noticed how much shorter his tongue was as a human, and causing Daryl to chuckle.

"No hahaha-ing." Rick turned away, bringing his blanket with him.

"It's called laughing," Daryl corrected earning a frustrated huff from the other man.

Rick stood up, throwing his blanket at Daryl. His tail was wagging behind him, and that's when Daryl noticed that Rick had only been wearing a shirt. He strained his eyes trying to keep them from moving down the other man's body.

"Fuck," Daryl mumbled, when his eyes flickered to Rick's... rather sizeable dick.

"My pants were uncomfortable on my tail," Rick responded shyly.

"How about underwear then?" Daryl suggested, about on the verge of choking himself to death. _I swear to god if I look one more time, I'm going to kill my-- fuck._

"It's so much bigger as a human!" Rick spoke excitedly, following Daryl's line of sight. That's when the hybrid placed his hand around it, and let out a shaky breath, his tail wagging at a reasonable, aroused pace behind him. "Ohhhh...." Rick threw his head back, slightly, letting his mouth drop open in pleasure.

"Okay, stop!" Daryl yelled, grabbing Rick's attention fast. "Sit!"

Rick did as he was told, a cheesy grin painted across his face. His bare ass touched the cold hardwood floor, and he let out a yelp.

"Stay!" Daryl yelled once more, throwing his hands out. He stood from his spot on the couch, Rick's eyes following him out the living room.

Once Daryl, who was certainly not tired anymore, was in his bedroom he let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding. He was relieved with the distance from the other man right now because damn. It was already weird enough that his dog had turned into a man. But the fact that he found his dog hot while jacking off...

He wasn't even gonna talk about that.

Daryl grabbed some boxers out of one of his drawers, along with scissors. It wasn't really that hard to cut a hole in the butt of the boxers.

He then searched his room for grey sweatpants. Once found, he returned to the living room, and pushed them into Rick's hands.

"Put these on," Daryl commanded, and Rick did as he was told.

Daryl turned his back as Rick figured out how to put on the boxers, hearing a satisfied yelp once figured out. After the boxers, Rick slipped on the sweatpants he was handed, huffing when he realized there was no hole.

"No tail space?" Rick frowned, clearly unhappy with the pants.

"It's for when we go out, if people see your tail, they'll probably get freaked out and think they're on drugs."

Rick then jumped in place excitedly. "Does this mean we're going out now?!"

Daryl snorted at the man's reaction, and grabbed his keys, Rick following close behind.

 

"So... do you still have all the same senses as a human that you did as a dog or..."

"No, can't smell the shampoo you use anymore without getting too close. And well... before this adventure, and before the couch, this is the closest you've been to me all week." Rick turned to look at him, then turned his gaze back out the window. "Don't have night vision anymore, can't hear from distances," a frown painted his face, and he looked down at his lap.

Daryl kept his eyes on the road, not looking to spare a glance towards the other man. Comforting people was not one of his strongest points, but it didn't mean he shouldn't try. It also didn't mean that he had to try right now.

He pulled into the parking lot of the grocery store watching as Rick struggled with the seatbelt, that Daryl had put on him once they first got into the car. Rick's excitement was visible to Daryl, and the man wouldn't deny the guilt that he felt for not helping Rick.

Just as Rick had resorted to the idea that trying to stand up through the seatbelt and climbing out of it was the best way to go, Daryl grabbed onto his arm. The sight of Daryl laughing made Rick happy, and he let a goofy smile spill onto his features.

"I don't usually have to wear this!" Rick whined, his smile not breaking away.

"L-look, Rick. All you have to do is press down on this." Daryl then demonstrated with his own seatbelt, his laughter dying down.

Rick stared at the button for a minute, pushing down on it and pulling his hand away as if the button would bite his hand off.

 

The grocery store to Rick was like a whole new world discovered.

There was the snack aisle, the different sized tv's, the movie aisle, the area where they keep all the meat, and most of all, the pet items aisle.

Toys. Bones. Collars. Leashes. Snacks. FOOD.

Rick was practically jumping in place at the sight of it. He had never known this even existed. His tail was wagging uncontrollably in his sweatpants, and it was almost completely uncomfortable. His mind jogged the thought of taking his sweatpants off, but then it featured the thought of people screaming at him too.

When Rick was given the sweatpants, he slid his tail down one of the legs to make it easier. So the fact that it looks like he's got a huge dick that's twitching along the backside of his left thigh was visible to Daryl.

"Rick--"

"Daryl!" Rick turned around fast to face the other man, a fluffy brown husky held tightly in his hands. "Please!" Added with an extremely adorable puppy face that Daryl didn't think Rick could pull off as a human.

"Fine..." Daryl sighed defeatedly, watching as the fluffy toy was thrown into the shopping cart he was pushing. "Come on, I don't think dog food is the best for you to eat."

"I'm gonna name him Carl," Rick spoke to himself.

They spent the next hour and a half going through each isle, throwing things that they needed into the cart. That did include a pack of boxer briefs for Rick. For now he could just borrow Daryl's other clothes.

Not that Daryl had actually cared if his clothes smelled like Rick or not. Rather than having the smell of dog, it was more the smell of vanilla and outside, which Daryl was confused on where the scent of vanilla even came from.

But he liked it. He wouldn't outright admit that he liked it, but he did. The smell of his... human-dog was calming.

That was it, he just liked Rick's smell, nothing more than that.

Nothing more that he would admit right now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please, feel free to leave a review/comment! :)


	3. He's Your Dog, But He's Not Yours

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rick and Daryl hang out more.

Rick's head was in Daryl's lap.

Not that Daryl minded or anything.

And Daryl's fingers were in his hair, untangling a few of the curls as he glided his hand through. Rick's sweatpants were on the floor by the door, having taken them off as soon as his owner closed the door. In front of them was the TV, which was playing Finding Nemo. It was a movie that Daryl had never really seen, but right now it has his attention.

Well... it _had_ his attention until Rick started talking.

"Daryl, why do I have to pee in the toilet now, why can't I pee outside?" Rick asked.

And when the other man looked down at him, blue eyes looking into blue eyes, he could tell that Rick had been in deep thought about this. "Because you're not a dog anymore." Of course Daryl's answer made complete sense, but it wasn't enough for Rick.

"It's more comfortable though, haven't you tried it?" Rick sat up, and Daryl paused the movie. "Going outside and just letting it go? Gaining your confidence in pretty much everything, all from peeing outside. You can breathe in the beautiful scents of all the plants around you. It feels so good, just thinking about it. Ohhhh--"

"Okay, okay!" Daryl shifted, feeling slightly uncomfortable.

Rick layed back down with a smile stained on his face because he knew Daryl would probably think about it.

Then Daryl's fingers found their way back into the hybrid's hair, and the movie continued on, holding the man's attention once again.

At least it did for another ten minutes before his mind wandered to the thought of pissing outside.

Well... he had pissed outside a few times when he went camping with Merle, but that wasn't what Rick meant. He was talking about doing it on the daily, and really feeling better after it. Those few short seconds of that beautiful, free feeling. Because he knew that Rick thought hard about shit--his separation anxiety had always been at maximum high (and it still is)--those few short seconds probably cleared Rick's head.

_Dammit, Rick, for making me think about this._

The man shook his head clear of any thoughts and settled his focus back on the movie.

 

Rick hummed, the feeling of Daryl carding his fingers through his curls was comforting. And he hadn't meant to fall asleep, he really hadn't, but his owner smelled so fantastic. The cute sensation that he felt in his head was fantastic. And his position on the couch against Daryl was _fantastic_.

"Ugh, you're so _comfy_. Just like the soft spikies outside!" Rick mumbled. "Or my pillow, ohh, yessss!"

 _I swear to fuck if this man-dog doesn't stop moaning_ \--

"Soft spikies? You mean the grass?" Daryl questioned with a small smile tugging on the edge of his lips.

"Ass?"

"No, grass."

"Oh... I could've gone into a great description on the way my ass jiggles whenever I walk. Its like vibrations, and they feel so g--"

No, just no.

Daryl covered Rick's mouth with his hand, feeling almost completely surprised when Rick started licking it.

And even though it felt slimy and disgusting, Daryl would rather have that than hear Rick moan for another damn second.

 

When Monday rolled around again, Daryl felt like a ton of bricks had hit him in the face. He didn't know why he felt that way, but he didn't like it.

He didn't even notice when Rick ran into his room, so he wasn't prepared for the entire weight of another body to crush his own.

"Can I come to adventures with you?" Rick asked innocently, not moving from his spot on top of Daryl.

"Why?" Daryl asked, looking into the other set of eyes that were just inches away from his face. If he wanted to, he could kiss the other man... but why would he want to do that anyway?

"You said dogs aren't aloud... but, I'm not exactly a dog anymore, am I?" Rick smirked, licking the tip of Daryl's nose.

Daryl processed the thought through his head. Well, he couldn't exactly see the harm in the situation. Rick wouldn't really be in the way, Daryl could just let him watch movies on his computer or something.

"Ugh, I'm sure my boss wouldn't mind." Daryl caved.

 

As Daryl drove them to his job, he explained to Rick what he could and could not do.

"You can't take your pants off. Try not to get too excited. Don't chase after people if they start running. Don't piss in the plants, they're not real. Keep your shoes on, don't try to take other people's shoes either." Daryl peeked over at Rick, who was watching him intently. "And _no licking_."

"Okay, okay, Mr. Suck-the-fun-out-of-everything. Fucking hell, can I do anything?" Rick whined.

It was still weird hearing him cuss.

"You can breathe, you can blink, you can cry." Daryl let his eyes run over Rick's body, making sure everything was in check as he pulled into the parking lot of the tall building. "Tuck your boxers into your pants, and then tuck your shirt over them."

Rick looked down at the yellow ducks on his blue boxers with a goofy smile. "Yes, captain."

Once Rick looked like a regular human, they left the car and walked towards the building. Daryl clocked in, feeling eyes on him.

He dragged Rick to his desk, which was on the sixth floor. But it took a minute to get there because Rick had pressed the buttons on the elevator for all twenty floors.

 

Having Rick in the office wasn't necessarily horrible, but it wasn't the most greatest thing either.

One, Rick had made friends with Shane. Daryl really didn't know how the fuck that happened. He thought he was keeping a good eye on his human-dog, but there was just too much excitement rushing through him that Daryl couldn't keep him in a seat for more than thirty seconds.

These are the times when you need a leash.

And two, he almost bit one of the co-workers, Dwight, after he had called Daryl a few names. Not that Daryl would have cared if they were somewhere on the street.

During his lunch break, while they were in the break room sitting at one of the tables, he'd heard various voices talking about them.

Or mostly about who Rick was and why he was here.

But that didn't matter. They didn't stand a chance against Daryl. Rick loved his owner more than anything... at least until after lunch.

Rick leaned back in his rolling chair, catching a sight of the lady standing by Daryl's desk.

"What now Lori?" Daryl sounded annoyed. Of course Rick wouldn't know why the other man was so annoyed. The figure in front of him left him completely breathless. His tongue was basically hanging out of his head.

"Um, h-hi, I'm Rick," he introduced himself.

"Oh..." Lori was surprised, clearly not noticing the other man sitting beside Daryl in his work space, "Lori Bonqueequee."

Then she walked away, a small smile present on her face.

And no, Daryl was definitely not jealous that Rick watched her walk off. He wasn't jealous at all when Rick let out a whistle of amusement. He wasn't fucking jealous, so stop thinking he was... because he wasn't.

It was just nothing.

Even if Rick is, or was, his dog doesn't mean that Rick is _his_.

And fuck the world if they tried to hurt the other man, because the little shit didn't know shit about love.

The last thing Daryl wants to see is Rick crying again.

He didn't know why he did it, and he wasn't proud of it. He just wanted to give the guy a chance.

"Why don't you get her number?" Daryl encouraged him.

"Like elevator numbers?" Rick tilted his head to the side and squinted his eyes in question.

"Yes, Rick, like elevator numbers."

"What do I do with them?"

"I'll show you, just bring them back here."

And then Rick was out of his seat, running down the hall in the direction of Lori.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't know what to put for Lori's last name, so... Bonqueequee it is!
> 
> And please leave your thoughts/comments below. :)


	4. Love's a Hard-on

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rick and Daryl talk about getting Rick to date Lori. Daryl begins to experience jealously.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking so long to update, but I hope you like it!

Rick stuck his tongue out, licking the tip of Daryl's nose. And then his cheeks, his forehead, his chin, his eyelids... ~~his lips~~ (let's not talk about that, though.) If there was some way to stop the hybrid from licking his face, Daryl would've done it by now, but Rick had him pinned down on the bed.

"When the hell did you get so strong?!" Daryl yelled out, struggling to get away while Rick continued to lick him. "Stoooop! Get off me, Rick, it's too early for this, you're gonna make me late!"

"But you taste so sweet, you taste like what Lori smells like!" Rick moaned in satisfaction, letting go of him.

That's the moment when Daryl noticed how dark it still was outside.

5:30 A.M the clock read.

"Why'd you get me up so early, my shift starts at nine?" Daryl looked away from the clock and back to the other man who was staring at him contemplatively, biting his bottom lip.

"I uh... I can't stop thinking, and I need to pee."

"You use the toilet now, and I'll be here when you get back." He watched as the hybrid hesitantly stood from Daryl's bed before sprinting towards the bathroom.

 

When Rick returned to the room, he was holding Carl. He climbed under the covers, and curled himself next to Daryl.

They weren't touching like usual. This was different. To sit in silence and not know how to start the conversation, because Daryl knew what the other was thinking about. He didn't want to talk about her, and he didn't want to help Rick date her. He didn't want anything to do with her at all.

"What's on your mind?" Daryl started.

"Lori, she's just so beautiful and she seems real smart. I love the sound of her voice, and I feel dumb, but... I like it. I like her smile, even though I've only seen it once; I like how she's so about herself, and she goes for what she wants."

_She goes for what she wants. Definitely doesn't sound like **me**._

As Rick went on and on about Lori, Daryl began to drift off. Not to sleep, but just away from the conversation in general. So the next thing that came out of Rick's mouth shocked him, and he held his breath for what felt like eternity.

"Is that what it felt like with Amy?" Rick's head turned to the side in a curious manner.

He hadn't even thought about her since the breakup, which was oddly surprising. Dating a person for around two years and completely forgetting about them the next day after the breakup. But maybe it was because he had been so busy. Like, who knew your dog would turn into a human the day after your girlfriend leaves you?

"I'd like to think so," Daryl breathed.

"I don't know what to do!" Rick pouted, and you know that just had to look completely adorable.

"Ask her out." _I hate myself._

"Where?" The man-dog asks.

_Okay, but even a stranger would have to admit how cute confusion looks on him._

"Oooo! Is she gonna take me on a walk? We can pee outside together, Daryl, that's perfect!" He clapped his hands together in excitement, and moved slightly so his wagging tail had more space to, well... wag.

"No, Rick, I mean on a date!" Daryl laughed, "what the hell?" he spoke under his breath.

"Oh! You've been on those a lot," Rick stated, "but I haven't; I don't know how."

"You can use my phone, you have her number, call her after my shift tonight. Ask her out to eat or some shit, make her feel special." _Did I mention that I hate myself?_

"Thanks, Daryl, you're the best!" And then Rick was on him again, licking his face, and straddling his waist; moving way too much for Daryl's sake.

"R-Rick, s-stop," because the other man was slowly moving over his dick, while trying to reach every part of his face, and making him hard. It took everything in him to not roll his eyes back and drop his mouth open in exasperating pleasure.

The feeling was so light, like a finger lightly tracing the surface of skin.

Rick stood up in a happy fashion, and jumped on the bed a few times before running out the room. "Woohoo!"

Daryl's heartbeat was fast having not felt like that in a while. His eyes trailed to the growing tent in his pajama pants with a hand grasped in his hair, "Shit."

 

It was only Tuesday but Daryl felt as if the day was actually Wednesday in disguise. Rick had made the time fly this morning. Which was necessarily good, but if only he was here to make work fly by like that.

No matter how many times he walked into this place, Daryl would always hate it. The feeling of disgust, and complete unamusement would always hit him, and he would _always_ still be here.

Why the fuck does he even work here? That's a question he'd probably never be able to answer.

 _If_ Lori _didn't like it here, she probably would've gone after what she wanted a long time ago._

"But I'm so fucking dumb, if I left this shit place I'd be in the streets on my ass," he sighed.

"Stressed?" He heard Glenn's voice from beside him.

They entered the elevator.

"Glenn, what're you doin' here?"

"It's the pizzas, man. There's a girl here named Maggie who works on the third floor, do you know her?" Glenn beamed, not giving him time to answer the question, "well she's beautiful, and _amazing._ Maybe she can help you with all the stress you're goin' through," he paused in thought, "only if you promise not to hit on her..."

"Yeah, maybe."

"So, how's Rick?"

"He's good, the other day he told me that pissing outside was really fucking pleasing," Daryl laughed, thinking about it. And then he _really thought_ about it before realizing what came out of his mouth. "Ah, shit... did I mention that that was a dream?"

Because dogs can't talk.

"Oh," Glenn laughed. If he was nervous he was hiding it pretty well. The doors to the elevator opened, "bye, think about what I said, she's a real life saver!"

When the doors closed, Daryl let out a breath that he hadn't even known he was holding. "Nice save, Dixon,  _nice damn save_."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please feel free to leave a review/comment! :)


	5. And Then Another Dog Came Along

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rick goes on his date...

The next few days consisted of Daryl training Rick for his date. Of course it wasn't the greatest time of his life, but apparently if it meant spending time with Rick, Daryl was all in.

Right now they were in the park, Rick in sweatpants and one of Daryl's old shirts; the other man in jeans and a fitting shirt with the sleeves cut off.

When the Frisbee left Daryl's hand, Rick ran after it in full speed. That's another thing that hadn't disappeared since he changed; his speed. The first being his tail.

Rick jumped, getting to where the Frisbee was going to before it even got there, caught it in his mouth, and landed successfully on his feet. He got back to Daryl and dropped it out of his mouth and onto the ground. Daryl shook his head with a smile that he had been trying not to let loose, and picked up the Frisbee.

"Aren't you gonna pet me?" Rick pouted, pushing his head into Daryl's chest. He grabbed one of Daryl's hands and placed it on top of his head. When Daryl took his hand off, Rick whined pushing into the other's chest even more.

"Rick, stop," Daryl spoke, stepping backwards every time the man-dog stepped forward. And then there was a rock. How did one single rock get in the middle of a grassy area? Well, it's nature.

Daryl tripped, falling backwards. The air was knocked out of him when Rick fell on top of him, having tripped over his owner's feet.

"Daryyyyl," Rick wagged his tail, not moving off him.

"Okay, okay! You're so damn spoiled, you're lucky I actually like you, man." Daryl's hand slowly ran through Rick's tangled curls. His other hand held onto the hybrid's back. It all reminded him of when Rick was still a dog and used to sleep on top of him like a blanket.

"Love you too," Rick mumbled with a smile, the feeling of grass on his arm being the second thing making him happy. The first being the man he was laying on top of.

 

"Is this a leash?" Rick curiously pulled at the tie that Daryl had put around his neck.

"No, it's a tie... what did you say you were gonna do again?" Well, he wasn't about to memorize a date that didn't even concern him, "you said dinner and then a walk in the park, right?" He was gonna memorize a date that concerned his man-dog.

"Yeah, that's what we agreed to!" Rick spoke happily, pulling at the tie again.

"Okay, well then you don't really need this, then," Daryl took the tie off of the hybrid.

"I'm going off leash?!"

"You're goin' off leash today, buddy!" He said back with a smile, throwing the tie onto his bed, "since it's just a walk, all you'll really need is a button up, and I think this one will really do some justice."

He pulled a blue button up out of his closet and held it in front of Rick to see how it would look. After he ironed it, and after the hybrid burned himself from touching the iron out of curiosity, Rick put the shirt on.

"This'll do..." Daryl felt the expression of disdain at the thought of Lori. He tried his best to hide it because Rick looked so happy. If he ruined this for him, there's a possible chance that Rick would never love him again (which is impossible.) And the fact that he used to be Daryl's dog... losing him would be pretty hard.

They have gone through thick and thin, and so many of Daryl's partners. Each one having no real meaning. All of them came and went, but his dog was always there to fill the empty space in his bed.

"Okay, well... it's almost six so let's go," Daryl finished buttoning Rick's shirt, leaving two unbuttoned, and grabbed his keys.

Rick followed him out the door.

 

"Okay, so when you get there, just take the little menu that they give you, like I told you before. It'll have a list of food to pick from. You do not get sugar, drink water. I don't need you bouncing all over the place," Daryl instructed while putting the keys into the ignition.

He looked over at Rick who pulled a dog biscuit out of his pant pocket and ate it.

_For God's sake._

Turns out his taste for dog food hasn't changed either.

"You're not gonna be there, are you?" Rick asked. His anxiety being shown through how fast he was eating the biscuits.

"Of course I'm gonna be there... just from a distance," he shrugged, handing the human-dog dome mints. "Gimmie those, and eat these."

"Daryl, what if I do something wrong?" Rick stressed, exchanging with Daryl after a moment's hesitation. He let out a whimper.

"You'll be fine, just believe in yourself," Rick smiled at that.

 

When they got to the restaurant, they went in separately. It wasn't a very fancy restaurant, it was more casual. Just like the park part of the date. Nice and casual and not nerve-wracking. Just extremely irritating because Rick wasn't sitting across from him, he was sitting across from Lori.

She looked nervous which came as a surprise to Daryl. Usually she was confident and 'so sure of herself.'

The fact that the hybrid made her nervous was... intriguing?

After Daryl ordered, a thought came to mind. A very important thought that he hadn't even thought about over the last few days. How was Rick gonna pay? Obviously Lori wasn't gonna be the one to pay, she looked like she hadn't even brought any money. Did this date make her that nervous?

The waiter returned to the table with his order a while later, and that's when he asked if he could pay for Rick and Lori's meal.

"Would you like me to tell them that it was you, or would you like to leave it anonymous?" the waiter, who's name happened to be Noah, asked.

Daryl glanced back at the other table for what felt like a solid minute, but was probably even shorter than that. "Just leave it anonymous, sir, thank you."

"No problem," Noah left and returned with both checks.

Their date had been going fairly well. Right now Lori was laughing at whatever Rick had said, and Daryl was hating himself.

The other side of the table would probably always be empty. He would never fill the blank space in his bed. And he would never stop hating himself even on his best days. This was probably why Amy left him. It was painful to even think about her at a lonely time like this. He was to watch the only person that could possibly ever make him feel like anything at all slip through his fingers and treat someone else like that. Daryl had to live with that feeling that he'd never find anybody. Soon, Rick would leave him with someone else, and he _still_ wouldn't ever find anybody.

When they had almost finished eating, Daryl payed for all the meals, exiting the restaurant right after his debit card came back. He sat in his car waiting for the couple to walk out.

They walked to Lori's car together. Rick's tail was the calmest it probably would ever get while on this date. He looked like a normal person if you didn't look too closely at the back of his left knee. There was a slow sway, but it wasn't noticeable.

 

Daryl walked a few paces behind them at the park, trying hard not to look like some creepy stalker. The sun had began to set, but it was still sitting on the top of the trees. The low light making the air begin to cool after a hot day that left sweat on Daryl's forehead.

He watched Rick run a hand through his hair as a thick-coated female dog passed by. She had black fur all over her body and ears; white fur covering all around her neck, with small tints of white on her head and paws. Her legs moved into a lighter brown. She was adorable... and certainly had Rick's attention.

Rick and Lori exchanged a look before Rick asked the owner what the dog's name was. Daryl began to walk closer as the dog started to sniff Rick's leg.

"Michonne, she's an Australian Shepherd," the blonde smiled, "isn't she a beauty?"

"Can... can I?" Rick asked, practically giving her puppy eyes.

"Yeah, she's friendly, as long as you're not a threat," the owner responded, holding her hand out to Lori. "I'm Andrea, by the way. You guys look like a lovely couple."

"T-thanks!" Lori stuttered with a guarded smile. "I'm Lori, and this is Rick."

Did she feel threatened by Andrea? Probably.

Rick moved his hand through Michonne's thick coat as she licked his face. It's like she knew who he really was. Rick let out a laugh of amusement, trying his best to keep his tail from wagging. From where Daryl was standing, he could tell it was twitching with anticipation.

"You really like dogs?" Andrea questioned.

"Oh yeah, I _love_ them!" Rick answered, looking back up at them with the biggest smile, as Michonne licked at his neck.

"Maybe you can dog-sit for me, I have to start work soon. I'm staying with my sister until I find my own place, and she's not letting me stay at her place without paying half the rent so..."

That's when Daryl came to the realization that Andrea was Amy's sister. He had completely forgotten. The atmosphere didn't change any differently, though. It was as if Daryl wanted to care that that was Amy's sister, but he couldn't bring himself to it because it simply didn't matter. And that was completely okay for him.

"I'll have to ask Daryl first," Rick answered with a shrug. It was clear that he didn't want to leave anytime soon. It was also clear that Lori was getting annoyed and impatient to do something else.

"You wanna sit by the lake, Rick?" Lori asked.

"Sure!" Because he was happy to do pretty much anything at the park. Rick stood up giving Michonne one last glance.

By the time they walked to the lake, Daryl was sitting on a bench, and Andrea was leaving the park.

Rick kept sneaking glances behind him at the dog he was walking away from.

Watching Lori sit next to Rick in front of the sunset had Daryl feeling anguish.

They should be at home watching TV or some shit, it didn't really matter. Even if they were sleeping in separate rooms at least they would be in the same setting.

But why the hell does Daryl even care? He's not jealous or anything, it's just because Rick's with _Lori_ , right?

Maybe that's what he's thinking, but it's definitely not what he knows.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts? Comments? Let me know what you think!


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